By Andi Anderson
The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) has taken important steps this year to better understand the growing interest in voluntary carbon markets within agriculture.
With support from its Government Relations, Agronomy, and Market Development teams, ISA has reviewed how carbon markets work and what they mean for Illinois soybean farmers.
The Environmental Policy team met with over 10 organizations that specialize in carbon markets and regenerative agriculture. These meetings provided insights into programs available for farmers and helped ISA understand how carbon markets might support or challenge farming operations.
Farmer voices also played a key role. Several discussions were held with ISA’s Board of Directors to gain a leadership perspective from those who know the field best.
Using these insights, ISA produced three educational articles for Field Advisor magazine. These articles explained how carbon markets started, how programs operate, and what carbon intensity scores mean for agriculture.
To further connect with farmers, ISA launched a carbon market survey. This survey gathers information on farmer experiences, interests, and questions. It is still open for responses and helps ISA tailor its support more effectively.
The main goal of this effort is to create an internal policy on carbon markets. This policy will guide ISA’s approach when advocating for farmers, working with policymakers, and engaging with private companies offering carbon programs.
“Because farmers may be frequently solicited by carbon market-related companies, it’s important for ISA to have an understanding of what these companies are asking,” said Andrew Larson, ISA Director of Government Relations and Strategy.
Although political views on carbon markets may shift, the idea of paying farmers for conservation practices remains steady. ISA will keep monitoring these changes and stand by the 43,000 soybean farmers it represents.
Photo Credit: illinois-soybean-association
Categories: Illinois, Education